IBM i Roadmap
IBM has continued to invest in IBM i through regular OS releases, Technology Refreshes between major versions, and certification on each new Power Systems generation, most recently Power11. This is what that pattern of investment looks like and what it signals for planning purposes.
Organizations evaluating whether to keep investing in IBM i often ask a version of the same question: is IBM still committed to this platform? The answer is visible in IBM's release pattern rather than in any single announcement. IBM i has received a new major release every two to three years for over a decade, each certified on IBM's newest Power Systems hardware as it ships, most recently Power11.
The Release Cadence
Since the IBM i name was introduced with version 6.1 in 2008, IBM has shipped 7.1 (2010), 7.2 (2014), 7.3 (2016), 7.4 (2019), and 7.5 (2022), each adding capability while preserving compatibility with applications going back to the original AS400 era. See IBM i release history for the full version timeline. This roughly two-to-three-year cadence, rather than an annual release cycle, is intentional: IBM i customers generally prioritize stability over frequent version churn, and IBM's release pattern reflects that.
Technology Refreshes Between Major Releases
Between major IBM i versions, IBM delivers Technology Refreshes (TRs), which add new function to an existing release without requiring a full version upgrade. TRs are how most incremental IBM i capability, including new PTF-deliverable features, reaches customers day to day, and they are a more accurate signal of ongoing development activity than the major version number alone.
Hardware Certification as a Roadmap Signal
Every new Power Systems generation, most recently Power11 (announced July 8, 2025), ships with defined IBM i compatibility from day one. IBM i 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5 are certified on Power11 hardware. Continued certification on each new hardware generation is one of the clearest practical signals of IBM's ongoing commitment to the platform, since it requires sustained engineering investment tied to every new processor release.
What This Means for Planning
IBM i's roadmap does not point toward the platform being phased out; it points toward continued, incremental investment on a predictable multi-year cycle. For planning purposes, that means budgeting for OS upgrades roughly every few years in line with IBM i support status end dates, rather than either assuming the platform is static or expecting frequent disruptive version changes.